This bill reduces the annual rate of pay for each Member of Congress for every 24-hour period when either (1) the public debt limit is reached so the government cannot make required payments, or (2) a lapse in appropriations causes a government shutdown. For days after the regularly scheduled November 2026 general election, the reductions apply. For the One Hundred Nineteenth Congress, payroll administrators must withhold the reduced amounts and place them in escrow, then release any remaining escrowed amounts on the last day of that Congress to avoid changing compensation in a way that would conflict with the Twenty-Seventh Amendment. The Secretary of the Treasury is directed to assist payroll administrators. The bill defines "public debt limit" and when a "government shutdown" is considered in effect.
If you are a Member of Congress, this bill would reduce your pay by one day's worth of pay for each 24-hour period the debt limit is reached or a shutdown is in effect. The bill applies only to Members of Congress; it does not change pay rules for other federal employees. For the 119th Congress, withheld pay would be held in escrow and then released at the end of that Congress.
No publicly available information on overall federal costs or savings is included in the bill text. The bill requires payroll administrators to withhold amounts equal to the pay reductions and deposit them in escrow for the 119th Congress, with those amounts released on the last day of that Congress.
No publicly available information.
No publicly available information.